


Moment of transition

by Melody_Jade



Category: Women of the Otherworld - Kelley Armstrong
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-16
Updated: 2016-04-16
Packaged: 2018-06-02 15:17:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6571261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melody_Jade/pseuds/Melody_Jade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's an empty office in Cortez Cabal headquarters, kept stocked and staffed for the reluctant return of the prodigal son.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Moment of transition

**Author's Note:**

  * For [empressearwig](https://archiveofourown.org/users/empressearwig/gifts).



Lucas and I had not informed anyone in Cortez Cabal of our arrival time at the Miami headquarters, but of course they were still aware of it, and the moment we stepped in, the welcome mat was rolled out and we were ushered inside in great fanfare. The receptionist raced to get the elevator for us, tripping over himself to ask if he could take care of our coats and bags, and he even deigned to acknowledge me, Paige Winterbourne, witch wife to Lucas Cortez, son and apparent heir of Benicio Cortez.

It had just been three months after the death of his two older brothers had catapulted Lucas into the upper echelons of the Cortez Cabal leadership, a position that Lucas had only accepted reluctantly to allow his grieving father time to mourn. It was a decision that Lucas still struggled with. Many in the supernatural world and in the cabal, though, saw it as Lucas caving in to the expectation that he would one day take over the reins of Cortez Cabal, and even as we walked through the lobby, I could feel speculative eyes on us, could almost hear their thoughts on how best to ingratiate themselves with the prodigal son.

We had spent almost two weeks in Miami directly after William and Hector's deaths, dealing with all the issues and paperwork - both from other Cabals and from the more mundane business side of the corporation - that came with having two high-level executives dying within hours of each other. Finally, Lucas and I had dug in our heels and told Benicio in no uncertain terms that we would be returning home to Portland. We could deal with any loose ends using phone calls or teleconferencing, but it was time to go back to our lives.

And we did manage to return to our normal lives for three months, slotting in the Cabal together with all our other responsibilities - raising Savannah, investigating cases for our agency, the interracial council, Lucas's pro-bono lawyer work and my Sabrina School. Yes, we were a lot busier than before, but we were beginning to adjust. And then the call had come from Benicio, who asked if Lucas could attend a meeting with representatives from the other Cabals while Benicio flew in to another meeting at the west coast.

There was no good excuse we could use to decline. And so here we were again, back in Miami after a mere three months.

* * *

When we arrived at the executive levels, Lucas and I started to walk to the unused conference room that had been our base of operations three months ago, only to be herded in a different direction by the half-demon receptionist - Tony - that had followed us up.

"This way, Sir," as he ushered us along. "Mr. Cortez requested that your office be set up before you arrived, and it is now staffed and ready for your immediate use."

Lucas's brow twitched, and he stopped in the middle of the hallway. During our first visit here, years ago, Lucas had given me a quick tour of the executive levels, and he had mentioned the suite of rooms that were reserved as his office, and declared that he would never work in it. "We were planning to just work from one of the conference rooms, as we usually do."

Tony looked both nervous and determined. "Mr. Cortez insisted, Sir."

I could tell Lucas had a headache building up from the furrowing of his brows, and that he was now warring in indecision - insist on not taking the office, hence putting the employees in a tight spot, or break another promise he had made to himself?

Casting a quick privacy spell, I took his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "We're going to come back here regularly from now on. It might be good to have our own place."

Lucas sighed, a soft gust of air against my hair, and he squeezed my hand in return. He turned back to Tony. "I understand. We will make our way to... my office then." It was only the fact that I knew him so well that I could detect the catch in his voice when he said 'my'. Lucas continued on, "We know the way from here. Please do not let us keep you from your responsibilities." Without waiting for Tony's response, a sure sign that Lucas's patience was frayed, we continued on down the hallway.

* * *

Lucas's offices were indeed well-staffed, with about ten employees filling the huge suite of rooms, receptionists and accountants and paralegals and secretaries. The moment we walked in, the staff all stood up to greet Lucas with something almost like awe, practised words like "so honored to be a part of your team, Sir," and "we will be happy to do anything that you ask," falling from their lips.

There was not one acknowledgement of me though. I might as well be invisible, for all that I was standing at Lucas's side.

Lucas finally extricated himself and we escaped into his office, which thankfully did not have a glass panel like so many other open concept offices these days, but boasted a solid opaque wall between his office and the rest of the employees. The opposite side was a different story though. Huge glass window panels gave us an incredible view of Miami, second only to the view from Benicio's own office. Everything else in the office was exquisite too, of course, from the heavy antique wood that the table was made of, to the tasteful antiques that decorated the place, and the sinfully soft leather couch placed in a corner.

Lucas collapsed into the office chair, slumped in an uncharacteristic way, taking off his glasses and tossing them onto the table as he rubbed at his eyes. I detoured from perusing the objects on the shelf and circled around to where Lucas sat. Putting my hands on his shoulders, I kneaded gently at the knots there, whispering an incantation that kept my hands warm.

He made a low pleased sound, the tension in his shoulders easing up a little, and he leaned back into my massage, eyes closing. "Are you alright?" I asked.

He sighed. "I did suspect that my father will do something like this, but I was hoping he wouldn't." Another sigh. "I don't want this office, Paige. I never wanted any of this. I never wanted to work for my father's cabal, to play any role in it, let alone a role leading it, and yet here I am, in the office that's been designated mine since I was eighteen. I keep telling myself that the situation is only temporary, that I'm here just to help my father in the wake of my brothers' death, but this..."

"It makes it feel more permanent." I finished his sentence for him.

Lucas shook his head ruefully. "An office of my own in the organization I spent my adult life fighting." He twisted his head around to squint up at me, lifting a hand to grip mine. "Do you regret marrying me now?" he asked.

I raised my eyebrow at him, hoping to convey with my expression just how ridiculous I found his question. "With a view like this? Not a chance."

He refused to be distracted by my flippancy though. "I'm sorry for the way they treated you just now. I'll make it known that I won't tolerate any disrespect toward you."

I laughed, squeezing his shoulders. "Thanks for the offer, but I can fight my own battles, Lucas. It's easier to earn respect than to order it, after all." He still looked worried, though, and I knew I needed a more compelling method to distract him. Giving his shoulders one final squeeze, I walked around the chair, pushing it back slightly so that I could slip in between him and the desk. Straddling him on the chair, I bent to kiss him soundly. "We have some time before the meeting starts, don't we? I wonder how we should spend the time..."

Pushing breathlessly away from his kiss, I nimbly unknotted his tie with a whispered spell while working on the buttons of his shirt. "Maybe we should christen your new private office?" I asked.

His eyes had gone half-lidded and he gave me a slow smile. "Mmm. I do believe there is some merit to your suggestion." I trailed my lips down to his neck and he gasped. "Unfortunately, the laws of the universe being such, I suspect someone will come along and look for me sooner rather than later."

"Not a problem." I whispered a locking spell against his lips, and we both grinned at each other before kissing again, his hands now wandering up my skirt.

In the end, we barely made it to the meeting in time, having spent a very enjoyable time christening the new office and testing just how sturdy the huge leather office chair was.

* * *

 


End file.
